Shoe heel with detachable portion



y 1955 o. MELCHIORRE 3,192,652

SHOE HEEL WITH DETACHABLE PORTION Filed Sept. 10, 1963 INVENTOR. OLIVIER O MELCHIORRE AGENT United States Patent 3,192,652 SHOE HEEL WITH DETACHABLE PORTIGN Oliviero Melchior-re, Piazza Nazionale 54, Naples, Italy Filed Sept. 10, 1963, Ser. No. 307,994 Claims priority, application Italy, June 4, 1963, 11,472/ 63 6 Claims. (Cl. 36-42) This invention relates to heels for shoes and other footwear, and more particularly to a heel having a portion which is normally fixed on a shoe, and a detachable portion which provides the wearing surface of the heel.

The object of the present invention is to provide a locking system for the two parts of the heel.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heel of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded View of the same heel;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the heel of FIG. 1 in its operating position; and I FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively show the heel of FIG. 3 in section on the lines IV-IV and VV.

Referring to the drawing, there is seen a heel assembled from two parts 1 and 7. The heel part 1 is intended to be fixedly fastened to footwear, and the part 7 is movable and replaceable.

1G. 3 shows the face portions of the heel parts 1 and 7 which jointly constitute the normally exposed face of the heel. The face portion of the movable heel part 7 is approximately U-shaped, and most of it is covered by corrugations 12. The exposed face portion of the fixed heel part 1 includes an approximately oval plate 4 conformingly enveloped by the corrugated surface of the movable heel part. Bores pass through the fixed heel part 1 from the exposed surface thereof for receiving nails 11 in the manner seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. The nails project from the contact face of the heel, not visible in FIG. 3, for attaching the heel to a piece of footwear.

As seen in FIG. 1, the free ends 6 of the U-shaped exposed face portion of the movable heel part 7 are relatively thin and flexible. They are normally partly received in grooves 5 of the fixed heel part 1. The free ends 6 carry locking studs 8, also seen in FIG. 2, which engage conforming locking apertures 2 in the fixed heel part 1. These apertures extend from the bottoms of respective grooves 5 inward of the fixed heel part 1 to the flat contact face of the heel.

The side of the plate 4 obscured from view in FIGS. 1 and 3 carries an elongated guide tongue 3 which is conformingly engaged in a guide slot 9 of the movable heel part 7 in the assembled position of the latter. In that position, the major surface of the plate 4 seen in FIG. 2 abuttingly engages corresponding surfaces of the movable heel part 7 in a manner evident from FIG. 3 to prevent movement of the assembled movable heel part on the fixed heel part in a direction from the contact face toward the exposed face. Relative movement of the assembled heel parts in the direction of elongation of the tongue 3 and the slot 9 is impossible when the locking studs 8 are received in the locking apertures 2.

When the fixed heel part 1 is mounted on a pieceof footwear by the nails 11, and the movable heel part 7 is to be attached, relative movement of the heel parts is guided by the engaged tongue 3 and slot 9 while the free ends 6 with the locking studs 8 slide along the normally exposed face of the plate 4 as is evident from FIG. 2. When the tongue 3 is conformingly engaged in the slot 9, the locking studs 8 are aligned with the apertures 2, and may be inserted thereby by flexing the ends 6 of the movable heel part 7 from the released position illustrated on the left side of FIG. 1 to the locking position illustrated on the right side and in FIG. 4.

Ahuttingly interengaging shoulders 13, 14 on the heel parts 1, 7 further secure the movable heel part 7 against movement relative to the fixed'part 1 when in the assembled position.

In that position, the corrugations 12 on the movable heel part 7 project outward beyond the exposed face portion of the fixed heel part 1, and the corrugations alone are thus subject to wear during normal use of the heel. If they are worn down, and replacement is desired, the end parts 6 are lifted from their locking position, and the movable heel part 7 may then he slid along the guide tongue 3 until its contact face portion clears the plate 4, as shown in FIG. 2, whereupon it may be lifted from the fixed heel part. A new movable heel part 7 may then be inserted.

The heel may thus be restored by merely changing the rear part which undergoes wear While the front part remains permanently secured to the shoe. Consumption of movable heel parts may be reduced by changing the movable heel parts from the right shoe to the left shoe and vice versa.

The invention has been described and illustrated by reference to a specific example. Of course, it is intended to cover such modifications as may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art on the basis of these teachings which do not depart from the scope of appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A heel comprising (a) a first heel portion having an exposed face and a flat upper face adapted to engage the bottom of a shoe and to be afi'ixed thereto;

(b) a second heel portion also having an exposed face and a flat upper face adapted .to engage the bottom of the shoe and being detachable from the first heel portion, the second heel portion being movable relative to the first heel portion towards and away from an assembled heel position, the said heel portions jointly constituting the heel in said assembled position, with the upper faces engaging the bottom of the shoe and the exposed faces approximately parallel to, and substantially equally spaced from, the upper faces to form a wearing surface of the heel;

(c) engageable guide means on said heel portions for guiding movement of said second heel portion relative to said first heel portion towards and away from the assembled position in a plane generally parallel to said faces;

(d) cooperating locking means on said heel portions for locking the second heel portion on said first heel portion against movement away from said assembled position, said locking means including a locking member on one of said heel portions and a locking aperture in the other one of the heel portions, said locking member and aperture extending transversely of said faces and being freely engageable and disengageable in said assembled position; and

(e) cooperating abutment means separate from said locking means and overlappingly protruding from adjacent edges of said heel portions in planes generally parallel to said faces for preventing movement of said second heel portion in a direction away from said upper faces in said assembled position.

2. The heel of claim 1, wherein the exposed face of said second heel portion is substantially U-shaped and has two free end portions, and said locking means extend in line with said free end portions.

3. The heel of claim 2, wherein said free end portions are flexible.

4. The heel of claim 3, wherein said first heel portion has grooves receiving said free end portions of the second heel portion in said assembled position, said free end portions being flexibly movable into and out of said grooves in a direction transversely of said faces for engagement and disengagement of the locking member and aperture.

5. A heel as set forth in claim 1, further comprising corrugations on the exposed face of said second heel portion.

6. A heel as set forth in claim 1, wherein said guide means include a tongue member on one of said heel portions and a slot in the other heel portion, said tongue member and slot extending in the direction of the guided movement, and said slot conformingly receiving said tongue member in the assembled position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,181,110 11/39 Esser 3636 2,183,218 12/39 Hewson 3636 2,247,555 7/41 Kelley 3626 2,802,285 8/57 Grifiin -Q 37-36 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

FRANK J. COHEN, Examiner. 

1. A HEEL COMPRISING (A) A FIRST HEEL PORTION HAVING AN EXPOSED FACE AND A FLAT UPPER FACE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE BOTTOM OF A SHOE AND TO BE AFFIXED THERETO; (B) A SECOND HEEL PORTION ALSO HAVING AN EXPOSED FACE AND A FLAT UPPER FACE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE BOTTOM OF THE SHOE AND BEING DETACHABLE FROM THE FIRST HEEL PORTION, THE SECOND HEEL PORTION BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE FIRST HEEL PORTION TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM AN ASSEMBLED HEEL POSITION, THE SAID HEEL PORTIONS JOINTLY CONSTITUTING THE HEEL IN SAID ASSEMBLED POSITION, WITH THE UPPER FACES ENGAGING THE BOTTOM OF THE SHOE AND THE EXPOSED FACES APPROXIMATELY PARAL LEL TO, AND SUBSTANTIALLY EQUALLY SPACED FROM, THE UPPER FACES TO FORM A WEARING SURFACE OF THE HEEL; (C) ENGAGEABLE GUIDE MEANS ON SAID HEEL PORTIONS FOR GUIDING MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND HEEL PORTION RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST HEEL PORTION TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM THE ASSEMBLED POSITION IN A PLANE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID FACES; (D) COOPERATING LOCKING MEANS ON SAID HEEL PORTIONS FOR LOCKING THE SECOND HEEL PORTION ON SAID FIRST HEEL PORTION AGAINST MOVEMENT AWAY FROM SAID ASSEMBLED POSITION, SAID LOCKING MEANS INCLUDING A LOCKING MEMBER ON ONE OF SAID HEEL PORTIONS AND A LOCKING APERTURE IN THE OTHER ONE OF THE HEEL PORTIONS, SAID LOCKING MEMBER AND APERTURE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FACES AND BEING FREELY ENGAGEABLE AND DISENGAGEABLE IN SAID ASSEMBLED POSITION; AND (E) COOPERATING ABUTMENT MEANS SEPARATE FROM SAID LOCKING MEANS AND OVERLAPPINGLY PROTRUDING FROM ADJACENT EDGES OF SAID HEEL PORTIONS IN PLANES GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID FACES FOR PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND HEEL PORTION IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID UPPER FACES IN SAID ASSEMBLED POSITION. 